Ryan and his Walls
by Byrn1989
Summary: It's an AU fic so don't throw things at me and tell me that the characters are out of character. They're supposed to be. This fic begins after the fashion show when Ryan and Seth go to the party. Everything up to the party is the same and I drop you into the party. IMO, this is what could've happened with a little tweakage. Let me know what you think. Even if you want to flame me,
1. Chapter 1

It's an AU fic so don't throw things at me and tell me that the characters are out of character. They're supposed to be. This fic begins after the fashion show when Ryan and Seth go to the party. Everything up to the party is the same and I drop you into the party. IMO, this is what could've happened with a little tweakage. Let me know what you think. Even if you want to flame me, go ahead. But please, if you're going to be critical, at least be constructive.

I don't own anything OC related.I also don't own this story I read it on LiveJournal and thought how awesome it is. It belongs to **brandywine421**.

Seth's eyes widen when they walk into the beach house. He looks from the almost naked girls dancing to the drugs on the table to the crowd of people by the counter mixing drinks. He turns to Ryan to see if he's as surprised, but Ryan already has a cigarette hanging from his lips and is folding his jacket up before setting it down on top of a pile of other jackets.

"Dude…"

"Are you going to geek out on me, Seth?" Ryan asked quietly, teasing. He pats him on the back. "Let's get a drink, everything will look better after a drink."

********************* ************ *********************** **************

"Summer, did I just see Seth Cohen out there?" Marissa asked, finding her friend in the bathroom with a half-smoked joint in her hand.

"Close the door, this is a personal smoke session," Summer snapped, closing it behind her. "Cohen? Oh, yeah, he came with Ryan, the new boy. The hot, new boy," she added.

"Summer, you can't have him, I've got dibs," Marissa said, taking the joint from her and inhaling deeply.

"Dibs? No, girl, you've got Luke. He might be big and stupid, but he's yours. You are not a free agent. Me, I can have any boy out there," Summer said, flipping her hair.

"You have had most of them," Marissa replied.

Summer gave her the finger. "Whatever. I need something different. And this kid is definitely not Newport, which might be just what I'm looking for."

"You are totally breaking the code," Marissa warned.

Summer raised an eyebrow at her. "Are you seriously going to be upset if I go after him?"

Marissa hesitated but finally sighed, leaning back against the wall. "I have Luke. You're right. If you want him…"

"I definitely want him," Summer smiled, taking a long drag off the joint before giving it back to Marissa. "Don't worry, I'll tell you all about it," she winked.

********************* ************ *********************** **************

Ryan was talking to some girl that Seth had never seen before that had legs that went up to her ears.

Seth had never been to a party like this. He hadn't even conceived that they happened outside of tvland but he wondered why he'd spent so much angsting about a life that considered these things fun.

He could see that Ryan was having fun, the girl had her hand on his thigh in a spot that would seriously give Seth the boy scout badge for tent-pitching, but Ryan was cool and collected.

"You all right, Seth?" Ryan asked quietly as the girl drifted off.

"Where'd she go?"

"She's going to try and score us some weed. Do you blaze?" Ryan asked.

"Um, no…why, do you think I look like an arsonist?"

Ryan rolled his eyes but was smiling. "No, dude, weed, ganja, you know…mary jane?"

"Oh, yeah, that's…I actually do much better with that than I do with this piss in a cup," Seth said, motioning to his beer.

"I know this isn't really your scene, man…" Ryan started but Seth was looking past him.

Summer Roberts, the girl of his dreams was leaning against the wall with Chip Saunders' hands up her shirt.

And it was like every fantasy he ever had exploded.

Summer Roberts was letting some random dude feel her up in public.

It wasn't supposed to be like this.

"What's up?" Ryan asked, following his gaze.

"She's a slut," Seth muttered, looking away.

"Oh…you…"

"I guess…I should've figured it out, right? I mean, she's popular and hot and…it's not like she was saving herself for me or anything…"

"I'm sorry, man," Ryan said, genuine.

"I'm going to take a walk."

"I'll save you some green, all right? Come find me when you get back," Ryan said when he stood up.

"Thanks," Seth said. He felt better knowing that Ryan was going to wait on him. It was nice to have a wingman. Even if he was stuck being a wingman.

He took his beer and walked out onto the beach. There were a bunch of jocks gathered around a bonfire and he made extra sure to stay out of their way and went further down the beach toward the boardwalk.

He heard the sound of sobbing before he reached the pilings.

He recognized Marissa sitting on one of the dunes.

It took him a moment to consider what to do. This was his neighbor, but she had never really been his friend. But she was a girl and she was crying. It was his responsibility to do something.

He couldn't think of anything to say for once and sat down beside her. She looked at him, wiping her eyes, but continued to make those noises that girls apparently made when they were crying to hard to catch their breath.

He put his arm around her and she leaned against him, turning her face into her shoulder.

"You okay?" he asked, finally.

"Luke…and Holly…they're…" she choked, motioning toward the pier.

"Oh," Seth realized what she was referring to. "Do you want me to kick his ass?"

She laughed, wiping her tears but still crying. "No. But thanks."

"I could do it, you know," he threatened. He made a dramatic show of pulling up his sleeve to show her his nonexistent bicep. "I'm totally buff."

She giggled. "What are you doing here, Seth? This totally isn't you."

"Well, it's kind of a long story," he said, for some reason needing to share with her.

"Distract me. Fill me in," she said.

"Well, when I was in kindergarten, I fell in love with a girl. And I thought she was perfect, even though she still doesn't know my name. And then tonight, I see that she's not what I thought she was. And it's like, every drawing I ever made, every dream I ever had…it's just gone."

"I kind of know how that feels. Except I was really dating Luke and you were just obsessed with Summer," Marissa said.

"I never said her name," Seth replied.

"She knows your name, Seth. But…you're not exactly her type. She…she should've told you, but…you're a nice guy and I didn't want her to hurt your feelings," Marissa said.

Seth sighed, keeping his arm around her. "Well, Luke's an ass and I should've told you, too. Looks like we've both lost things tonight that we never really had in the first place."

********************* ************ *********************** **************

Ryan was sitting on the patio, basking in the afterglow of the fabulous blunt he'd just smoked with the nameless hottie that had hurried off with her phone in her hand.

He felt hands on his shoulders and then on his back and finally on his ass.

"Back so soon?"

"Oh, believe me, you'd remember me if I'd been here," a voice said.

He blinked away the marijuana fog and recognized Summer in front of him.

Her bikini didn't leave much to the imagination.

God, Seth would kill him.

But she was so damned hot.

"I think you're right. I'd definitely remember you," he said.

She smiled. "I'd like to get to know you a little better, Ryan," she said, leaning close and kissing him on the lips, her tongue inviting itself into his mouth.

She was too hot for him to pass up.

But there was Seth…

He made himself pull away. "We can't do this."

"Why not? Oh, god, not because of that geek…"

"Not helping your case much calling my friend a geek," Ryan said, stumbling to his feet.

"Sorry, god, sorry, but there's nothing between us, it's all in his head, he has no claim on me," she said, pushing him against the wall when he tried to walk away.

She put her hands in his pockets and pushed upward until she cornered his stirring cock in the bunching of his pants through the fabric.

"You want me, too…"

"Not like this, I don't," Ryan said, forcing himself to walk away. He had to find Seth. Now.

God, Summer was like every girl he'd ever fucked, she was horny and willing and into him and he knew that she'd make it worth his while…

But he had to change. He had to walk away and be the better man. This wasn't Chino and he didn't know who was open season and who was off limits.

He needed to find Seth.

"You're not getting rid of me that easily, Ryan. I'll get you, one way or the other," she called after him.

********************* ************ *********************** **************


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Seth and Marissa were making their way back to the party.

Seth had no idea that Marissa Cooper had anything in common with him apart from a zip code but after spending the past half hour with her, he was seeing a whole new side of her.

The group of boys by the bonfire had gotten bigger but Marissa didn't seemed threatened so Seth ignored them, listening to her talk about the new Bright Eyes album.

"What are you doing with that queer, Coop? Where's Luke?"

Seth glanced up and saw Chip Saunders towering over him.

"Leave us alone, Chip," Marissa replied, pushed past him and taking Seth's wrist to pull him with her toward the house.

"This little dweeb's bothering you, isn't he?" Chip asked. He laughed and promptly pulled his arm back and punched Seth in the face.

"Hey!"

Seth was still spinning and trying not to cry like a little bitch when he saw Ryan arrive.

Marissa was kneeling beside him, worried but Seth was transfixed by his new friend.

Ryan was like a street fighter and he had Chip on his ass in a matter of seconds. When the other boys ran up to help Chip, Ryan took two of them down before they got the upper hand.

"God, can you guys stop it?" Summer appeared with what seemed to be a water hose and quickly brought the brawl and the bonfire to an end. "You're acting like retards, and while for most of you, that isn't different, you need to chill out!"

She dropped the nozzle and it landed on Chip's chest with a thump when she saw Marissa. "Coop? What happened?"

"Stupidass Chip," Marissa muttered, helping Seth up.

Seth left the two girls alone and hurried over to Ryan's side.

He had blood from a cut on his forehead trickling down his face and he was holding his arm across his stomach.

"You all right?" Ryan asked before Seth could ask.

"Yeah, you?"

"Yeah. Fucking pricks…you ready to go?" he asked.

Seth followed Ryan's gaze to Summer who was holding Marissa and comforting her. "Yeah, man. Let's get out of here."

Ryan finally got to his feet and brushed off the sand.

"We can give you a ride home," Marissa offered. Seth was surprised when she put her hand on his arm. He glanced at Ryan but he wasn't looking at him. He was watching Summer again.

This was definitely an interesting night.

"Thanks," Seth said.

"I'm going to get my stuff, don't leave without me, Coop," Summer said, glancing at Seth for a moment, curiously before hurrying inside.

"My jacket's in there," Ryan said, wiping the blood off his face.

"Your suit's ruined anyway," Seth said.

"Dammit. I guess your mom's not going to be able to return it now," Ryan muttered, glancing at the bloodstains on the shoulder.

"I think the suit's the least of our worries," Seth replied, motioning to his swelling eye.

"It wasn't your fault," Marissa said.

"Can we get that in writing?" Seth joked.

********************* ************ *********************** **************

The next morning, Ryan woke up and saw Seth sitting up across the room with his mom standing over him. Glaring.

"What happened to your face?" she demanded.

"Mom, before you get all upset…" he started.

"House. Now," she ordered, glaring at Ryan before pulling Seth outside.

Well, it had been an interesting weekend to say the least.

Seth seemed like a good guy. He wasn't like any of Ryan's other friends. He was a really nice dude. Naïve, but nice.

And the girls here were definitely hotter than the girls at home.

He stuffed everything he'd brought with him back in his dufflebag.

He could probably catch a bus back to Chino. Settle things up with his mom. Maybe call Theresa and see if she was on the outs with Eddie yet.

He glanced around the poolhouse as he flipped the switch off.

Yeah, right, like he'd ever have a life like this.

The doors to the kitchen were open so he stepped inside.

He could hear Kirsten talking to Sandy through the opened front door. Did these people ever lock their doors?

He put his bag down. The least he could do was make them breakfast.

Seth was bound to be hungry after last night. They'd smoked a joint in the driveway before the girls had left them.

Summer had been in the back seat with him and she'd managed to get his zipper down before Marissa had given her the evil eye.

He'd love to have another go at that one.

With Seth's permission of course. But from what he could tell from last night, Seth had developed a little crush on his neighbor. And Marissa wasn't exactly pushing him away, either.

He scrambled the eggs, started the coffee and had just put the bacon in the pan when Kirsten stepped in.

"Look, Ryan, I don't mean to play bad cop. It's nothing personal," she said.

He gave her a nod. For it to be personal, she might have actually had to have a conversation with him.

"Is that bacon?" she asked.

Ryan shrugged. It was her house, she had to know what was in the fridge. "I usually make breakfast at my house. My mom's not much of a cook so," he started before letting his words fade. She didn't care, he didn't have to tell her anything.

"I'm sorry. You seem like a really nice kid," she said quietly.

He didn't know why he felt like he had to make this rich lady feel better. "It's okay. I get it. You have a really nice family," he added. He didn't really blame her for wanting him gone. She already had a perfect life. And Ryan was far from perfect.

He put the bacon on the table and picked up his backpack.

He wondered if she wanted to search it first.

********************* ************ *********************** **************

Sandy hated leaving Ryan in a place like this. If the front yard's disarray was any sign of what was inside, he knew he'd never be able to live with himself.

He felt so stupid, sitting in his car when he'd just sent the kid back to god knows what kind of hell.

He grabbed his keys and locked the beamer before hurrying up the rickety stairs of the house.

The door was half open and he stepped inside, searching for Ryan.

But what he saw disturbed him more.

An empty house.

Nothing but trash left to decorate the floor.

"Ryan?" Sandy called, walking inside.

Shit. This couldn't be good.

He saw a note on the floor, half balled up.

"Ryan, if you find this note you'll know I'm gone. Your grown up enough to take care of yourself. Good luck, kid. –Mom"

Sandy went through every room in the house but Ryan wasn't there. It was only on his trip back into the kitchen that he saw the back door still swinging in the wind.

He'd lost him.

********************* ************ *********************** **************

Kirsten glanced up when Sandy walked back into the kitchen. "You get him home okay?"

"His mom left," Sandy stated flatly.

"What?" she asked.

"His house. Was empty. She left him a note on the counter."

"Oh honey…" she started, sympathetic. "I'm sorry…where is he?"

"Don't say you're sorry," Sandy snapped. "He ran off. He would never have called me in the first place if he hadn't been desperate. And now, thanks to your warm welcome, he has nowhere to go." He turned to leave. "I'll put my pillow on the couch."

"Sandy…" she called.

"Don't worry, honey, if I hear from him I'll be sure and call the police so they can lock him up until they find someone to adopt him," Sandy added.

********************* ************ *********************** **************

It took Ryan four days to find his mother.

Four nights of changing clothes in convenience store bathrooms and catching naps in bus stations and libraries.

He didn't go to the shelters because he didn't have a fake id good enough to fool the truancy officers that kept check on stuff like that.

And he definitely didn't call Sandy. He didn't want to get the man in any more trouble with his wife.

So on the fourth day when he found his mother drunk and passed out in a cheap motel room, he was too relieved to be afraid of A.J.

He didn't think his mother even knew he was there, she didn't stir at all while AJ delivered her message again, but not with words.

Now, he'd found his mother and knew that she wasn't going to help him.

She didn't care.

She didn't even wake up. She might see the blood on the floor when she came to, but he didn't have any doubt now that she was done with being a mother.

She could've at least tried to do a little bit better job at being a mother if she was going to take early retirement.

Now he was really at a loss. He was hurt, more messed up than he'd been in a while, and he didn't have anyone that he could call.

He couldn't go to the clinic to get patched up and anywhere else that he went would probably call the cops because of the amount of blood on his clothes.

Ryan didn't know what to do.

He needed a plan. And soon.

********************* ************ *********************** **************

Seth yawned, reaching over and answering the phone. "Hello?" For the first time in years, he liked answering the phone. Marissa had been calling him since the party to talk and she'd even come over a couple of times to find out about Ryan.

"Seth?"

He could barely hear him through the static, but he recognized Ryan's voice.

It was the voice his father had been praying to hear for days. "Yeah, is this…"

"It's Ryan. I…I, kind of, need a favor, Seth."

"Sure, whatever I can do…where are you? We've been looking for you…"

"Looking for me? Did I miss court or something?"

"Your mom, dude, she cleaned out the house…Dad went in to check on you and you were just gone…"

"Shit…"

"Ryan? What's the favor?"

"I…never mind…I shouldn't have called…"

"Ryan, wait. Just…what's up? Are you all right?"

"I need a ride. Some cash…something…I need to get out of town or something…"

"Where are you?" Seth asked.

Ryan hesitated but finally gave him an address.

Seth dressed quickly and hurried down the stairs. His mom was in the kitchen but his dad was at work.

He'd talk to Ryan before he went running to his dad.

"I'm going out, Mom, I'll be back later," he called, taking the keys and going outside. He was vaguely aware of his mom telling him to be careful.

"Hey. Where are you going? I was just coming to see you," Marissa said from the driveway.

"Yeah, can we use your pool, Cohen? Kaitlyn's got some kind of party today and I really need to lay out," Summer explained from beside her.

Seth hesitated. He was still nervous around Summer, but he knew that he was over her. Even though she was civil to him now because of Marissa, he had a whole new view of her and it wasn't necessarily a good view.

"What is it?" Marissa asked, concerned.

"Get in. I'm on a mission and you're officially kidnapped to help," Seth said, popping the locks on the rover.

"Well, if you put it that way," Summer sighed, nudging Marissa.

"You were the one that wanted the pool…"

"Yeah, but you wanted to hang out with Cohen. I'm not totally selfish," Summer replied. Marissa glared at her and Seth hid his smile. "Oh, sorry, Coop…"

Once they were all inside, Summer leaned up between the seats. "Where are we going anyway?"

"Ryan called," Seth said quietly.

"Is he okay?" Marissa asked.

"I don't know. He didn't really say much, but he said he needs a ride or some cash. I was going to figure out what to do when I got there. I don't want him to disappear again…"

"Are you going to tell your Dad?" Summer asked.

"I don't know yet."

"You should tell him," Marissa said. "I mean, Sandy's the only one who can really help him, you know? Get him a place to live and stuff, keep him out of jail."

"Jail?" Summer asked. "Someone needs to fill me in on the whole story of Ryan. I know he's from Chino and everything, but jail? He's a thug, too?"

"No, Summer. It's…it's a long story," Seth sighed.

"So? We have a long trip, right? Spill. You guys will have plenty of time to flirt."

********************* ************ *********************** **************

Ryan saw the Rover pull up from his lurking place in some trees in the park.

He hadn't expected Seth to bring backup but he was relieved not to see Sandy amongst the people in the car. He hated that he'd had to call the guy, but he'd exhausted all other options.

"This is a park, Cohen. A park. Why would Ryan be in a park?" Summer's voice asked.

"Just…just stay in the car, Summer. I'll be right back," Seth said, getting out.

"Lock the doors, Coop," Summer added before Seth closed the door.

Ryan pushed himself to his feet. He'd managed to get cleaned up, slightly, but he knew that he still looked rough. His face was swollen and several of the cuts that needed stitches made him look even worse than he felt, which was pretty bad.

He picked up his backpack and considered putting it on his shoulder, but remembered how much that had hurt before and simply held it at his side as he walked over toward Seth.

"Dude…what the hell happened to you?" Seth asked, his eyes wide with surprise and concern.

"I went looking for my mom," Ryan replied.

"And?"

"I found her boyfriend instead," Ryan muttered.

They were beside a bench now and he sat down heavily.

"Did you go to the hospital? Dude…you look…"

"Yeah, I know. Not winning any pageants today. I can't go to the hospital, I don't have insurance, I don't have a parent that can sign a release and I'll get sent right back to juvie. I'll be all right. But I've got to get out of town. I don't want to go to jail, I've got to get out of California," Ryan explained.

"Where have you been staying, man?" Seth asked quietly.

"Around. Seth…I didn't want to have to call you, but…can you help me? Loan me some money for a bus ticket or something?" Ryan asked. He was too tired to beat around the bush.

"I want to help you, man, but I don't know if you're thinking straight right now. Seems to me that you've had a pretty eventful week. Are you sure you want to go this way?" Seth asked, hesitating.

"There is no other way, Seth. Not anymore. I don't have anywhere to go, I'm on my own. I…I can't explain it to you. Either you can help me or you can't."

Seth sighed. "Come on, get up."

"What? Seth…"

"I said I'd help you, but you have to do it my way, okay? I can't just give you a fistful of money. I need time to get a plan together. So? Come on, dude, I won't bite."

Ryan let Seth take the backpack from him and followed him to the Rover.

Summer pushed open the back door when he was a few feet away. "God, took you long enough. Get in."

********************* ************ *********************** **************

"This is your house?" Ryan asked her when Cohen pulled into her driveway.

"Yep. And for the next two weeks, it's all mine. I was planning on throwing a rager, but my housekeeper is a real bitch and she always calls the cops," Summer said.

She was worried about Ryan. At first, she just wanted to fuck him senseless, but she could tell he wasn't really in any shape for that.

She hated when boys actually became people instead of being just mindless entertainment.

Ryan was a good guy. He'd went to bat for Cohen against the jocks and he'd even turned her down out of loyalty to Cohen.

And he had that air of mystery that she couldn't deny and even though he was from Chino and probably poorer than dirt, she was still attracted to him.

Hell, she was enthralled by him.

Summer had never really associated with anyone outside of the upper class bracket and the fact that she was attracted to this…criminal was against everything she'd learned and worked for.

She was meant to marry well.

But that didn't mean she couldn't play in the mud with Chino boys. Did it?

"Summer? Are you going to let us in?" Coop asked from the front step where they were all waiting for her.

"Oh, yeah."

She'd offered to let Ryan get cleaned up and give them all a place to brainstorm. He hadn't robbed Cohen so she didn't think that he'd rob her. She was looking forward to having him around at least long enough to heal up and pay her back with some action.

"Come on, let's get you cleaned up…" Marissa cooed once they were inside. She started to lead him toward the guest room and Summer had to push the flare of jealousy down.

She'd never had to compete with Marissa for guys before, there had always been Luke to keep her off the market.

"I think I can manage. Can I take a shower?" Ryan asked her.

"Yeah, there should be towels there," she said, relieved when Ryan went into the bathroom alone and locked the door.

Seth let out a long sigh.

"Call your dad, Seth. You have to tell him. You can't just let him run away," Marissa whispered.

"He trusts me," Seth said, torn.

"Just chill, guys," she said, glancing between them. "He's here for now, we'll figure it out as we go, okay?"

"Summer, you have ulterior motives," Marissa warned.

"What?" she asked.

"You want to get in his pants," Seth translated flatly. "I want to help him and you just want to fuck him. That's what she means."

"Seth!" Marissa gasped.

But he wasn't wrong. She shrugged. "Whatever. But I don't want him to leave right away either, so for now, we're on the same page. If you tell your dad, he'll take Ryan away from all of us."

"He's not a toy. He's a kid, he's just like us except he doesn't have rich parents, he has no parents. You can't just talk about him like he's a puppy or something. He's in trouble and we're the only people that can help him. If we give him cash and something happens to him on the streets, we're going to be responsible," Marissa said.

"Dammit, Coop," Summer sighed. "Fine. Call your dad. Nobody said we had to be all mature and shit."

Seth glanced between them but finally pulled out his phone and walked away.

Summer would get her chance eventually. She'd make sure of that.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Sandy put the unopened bottle of aspirin down and answered his phone. "Hello?"

"Dad. It's Seth."

"Hey, kid. What's going on?" Sandy asked, tiredly. Seth never called him unless he wanted him to pick up dinner or something. But it was too early and Seth sounded…different. "Everything okay?"

"Um, sort of. I found Ryan."

"What?" He was fully alert now.

"I found Ryan…"

"Is he okay? Where is he? Is he…"

"Whoa. Slow down. He's okay. Well…he's not, like, perfect or anything, he's sort of, well, wrecked, but he's here. He called me. He wants me to help him get out of California…"

"Seth…"

"And since I got a lecture from someone else about how I'd never be able to forgive myself if something happened to him with my cash…I need your help."

Sandy was stunned. His brain just stopped. His son hadn't talked to him like this in years. Ever since Seth went through puberty, they'd barely been able to share a conversation without Sandy saying something that Seth interpreted wrong. But Seth was asking for his help. And even Kirsten had mentioned Marissa's presence around Seth after the 'fight'.

"Dad?" Seth called.

"I'm thinking."

"Oh…"

"Where are you? Can I…"

"He doesn't know I'm calling you. He knows Mom doesn't want him there and he doesn't want her to be mad at you for helping him. Does that make sense? I mean, he…he doesn't want to go to jail but he doesn't have anywhere to go. He…he found his mom and she…he couldn't stay there."

"Seth…" Sandy could hear lots more in his son's voice than his words.

"Her boyfriend beat him up. He's…he's hurt. He's in the shower."

"Are you nearby?" Sandy asked, flipping open his phone book and dialing the office phone with his free hand.

"Sort of. I'm on the Rover. Mom doesn't know where I went. So, I'll have to come home eventually…"

"No, stay right there, I'll talk to your mother. Stay with him and…I'll call you when I can tell you what I've found out that we can do for him. All right?"

"Okay. Thanks, Dad. He's…he's my friend and I want to help him."

"We will. I promise. Hang tight."

Ryan ran his fingers through his hair and looked at himself.

He definitely wasn't going to be enjoying the fruits of staying at Summer's house tonight. The blue-black bruising that ran down his entire side and hurt every time he breathed was going to keep his dick in his pants tonight.

He pulled out the cleanest wifebeater he had and pulled it on. He'd stolen some change from a fountain at the mall before he'd found his mom and managed to wash his clothes at a Laundromat.

The shower had been great, though. He felt better despite his hunger and exhaustion. He was at least clean now.

He felt human again.

He unlocked the door and stepped out into the designer guest room.

"Finally. I thought you drowned," Summer said. She was sitting on the bed and she'd changed clothes. She was wearing a pair of tight white shorts and a low cut tube top over her orange bikini top. Her breasts teased him and it took a moment for him to focus on her face. "I got you some clothes. You should throw those away or at least wash them while you're here," she said, motioning beside her. She patted the clothes. On the bed.

"Where's Seth?" he asked, walking over to her.

"He took Coop to the drive thru. She might be skinny, but the bitch can put back some burgers. And we figured you might need a meal, too, you know. You're looking a little pale, Ry," she said, swinging her sculpted legs off the bed to reach for him. She grabbed his shirt and pulled him a step closer.

"Summer…"

"I just want you to change clothes," she said, smiling at him innocently.

"Whose clothes are these?"

"I got them from my lost and found," she said, picking up the black t-shirt. "They're clean and everything. Just stuff leftover from parties and…"

"Sleepovers, right," Ryan smiled. At least she was honest. He took the clothes and started to turn to go back to the bathroom but she stopped him.

"Let me help. You look…sore," she said, standing up.

He didn't stop her from gently peeling his shirt off, leaving his damp hair in disarray.

"Damn. Are you okay?" she asked, touching the bruise on his chest with her warm fingers.

"Yeah. I'll be okay," he replied.

"Sit down, on the bed. I've got a first aid kit, you need something for those cuts," she said, going into the bathroom and shaking her hot little ass.

He needed to sit down after that.

He kicked off his jeans and started to put on the clean ones before she got back, but she was too quick for him and he heard her light giggle when she saw him standing naked with the pants in his hand.

"At least your ass isn't bruised," she said, her eyes lingering as she looked at him from top to bottom.

"Do I pass inspection?" he asked, trying to stay confident as he turned to face her.

"I'd say so, Ryan. You definitely pass," she grinned, walking over and taking the jeans from him. "But I thought I told you to sit down."

He was never one to argue with a woman, especially a woman as hot as Summer. He sat down on the bed and she leaned over and pulled the jeans over his feet and up his legs until they were over his knees.

"Lie back and raise up so I can put on your pants."

He leaned back and lifted his hips as she pulled the denim over his thighs and underneath his ass.

"Oh, this is difficult," she said suddenly, her hands on his inner thigh. "I guess I'm more used to taking guys' jeans off," she added.

And then she leaned over and kissed the head of his cock softly.

"Summer…"

"You don't have to do anything, just…lie there, okay? You've had a shitty week and I just want to do something nice for you…" She sucked his length into her mouth and he had to bite his lip from crying out.

This girl was good…

"Uh oh," Marissa said when she stepped into Summer's house with the first load of bags from the restaurant. She could smell the marijuana smoke from the hallway.

"What?" Seth asked, kicking the door closed as he carried the drinks.

"Summer's a pothead, in case you didn't know that," Marissa sighed.

"Oh. Good to know, I guess," Seth said.

"Not if your dad has to come here," Marissa told him.

"True. We'll Lysol it down, but hopefully, Dad won't show up here. He doesn't know where we are or anything. Just the basics," Seth replied.

Marissa stopped him outside the door. "Knock. You learn to knock when Summer's your friend," she said, rapping loudly on the door.

"Come in, Coop!" Summer called. Marissa pushed open the door.

Ryan and Summer were lying on the bed sharing a fat joint.

Summer looked at Ryan with a smile that told Marissa everything she needed to know. "She thought we were naked," Summer said.

"Summer, you ignorant slut," Marissa deadpanned, but she was serious.

"I didn't hurt him," Summer pouted.

Seth walked over and held out their drinks. "New clothes?"

"Summer's," Ryan said. He held out the joint.

"No thanks, I'll have to face the 'rents eventually, don't need the red eyes," Seth said.

Ryan nodded and silently put it out in the ashtray before turning to face Seth in the chair. "So. Any news on this big plan of yours?" he asked.

Marissa sat down on the arm of Seth's chair and they spread out the food on the bed.

"Not yet, but trust me, dude, it's going to be awesome."

"You can crash here a couple of days, Ry, I mean, if you need to," Summer said.

Marissa rolled her eyes and Summer frowned. She loved her best friend, but Summer was shameless sometimes.

"Thanks, but I should probably get out of here as soon as I can. Someone's sure to report me if I'm in Newport," Ryan said quietly.

"Dude, you're beat. Hell, if Summer wants to hide you in her house, just stay in bed…"

Summer smirked.

Seth hesitated.

"I know what you meant, Seth," Ryan said. "But I don't want to take advantage of this. I can't get settled here, you know?"

"I'm going to figure something out. I swear, dude. I'll get us a plan. Trust me," Seth said.

Ryan nodded slightly and took a box of fries. "Thanks."

Sandy walked inside his house and heard Kirsten pecking away at her laptop in the kitchen.

"Hi, honey. Any news?"

"Actually…" he started.

"Did you find him?" she asked, anxious. He'd been so upset that no matter what her true feelings, it had rubbed off.

He was having trouble reading her lately. He knew he'd hurt her but she'd hurt him too.

"Can we talk? About Seth, and Ryan?"

"I didn't know his mom would leave him, Sandy. You can't honestly blame me for this…"

"I want to help him, Kirsten," Sandy said.

She closed her laptop. "I'm listening."

"I can't help him if I can't talk to him. If I can't keep an eye on him," Sandy said.

Kirsten sighed. "You want him to stay with us. You want us to take care of him."

Sandy sat down beside her.

"Is he okay?" she asked quietly.

"He found his mom," Sandy said. He'd shown her the letter the first morning when she'd demanded he tell her everything after he'd spent all night driving around Chino looking for the kid.

"He's with her?"

"No. Seth said that Dawn's boyfriend beat him up. He picked him up at a park, said he looked…tired," Sandy said.

"Seth…Seth found him…" Kirsten realized.

"He's…"

"Seth will take care of him," Kirsten said suddenly.

Sandy searched her face. She'd been so adamant about Ryan not staying there after the fashion show incident but once he'd snapped on her after Ryan disappeared, he hadn't been able to read her at all. But tonight, she just looked worried.

Worried and guilty.

"What is it about him, Sandy? Explain it to me…I don't understand how this boy that you just met has had this much impact on you…"

Sandy looked at the counter. "I spend all day working with kids, bad kids, kids that just don't give a damn, there's no way I can help them because they're just too far gone…and then I meet Ryan, and he's got so much potential, he's so smart and…I see a kid that's stuck in a place where potential isn't going to get him anywhere…he was probably with his brother because he couldn't go home…and then to see him with Seth…to see Seth laugh and to see him actually having a good time away from the TV…"

"What can we do, Sandy. What do you want to do?"

"I want…"

She held up a hand to stop him. "Wait. I want to say something." She looked in his eyes. "I trust you. I trust you with everything I have."

"He's a good kid."

She nodded. "Then he'll stay with us."

"We'll have to be his guardians…take full responsibility…"

She nodded. "I won't let him down. I won't let you down. So as long as he doesn't let us down…we'll be all right."

He took her in his arms.

"I just hope you know what you're getting us into."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Ryan fell asleep after they finished eating and he didn't wake up when Seth's dad called.

Seth came into the room and looked at the girls with as blank a look as he could manage.

He hadn't expected this.

"Well?" Summer asked. "What did he say?"

"I need to talk to him."

"Seth…" Marissa started.

"I'll explain everything later," he said. Ryan opened his eyes and looked at him, glazed from the short sleep.

Marissa led Summer into the hallway and Seth closed the door behind them. He sat down in the chair beside the bed. Ryan sat up, sensing the importance.

"So. I, sort of, have a plan for you now," Seth said. He didn't think Ryan would hurt him, but he had no idea what to expect.

"Shit. You told your dad, didn't you?" Ryan realized.

Seth didn't know how Ryan just read his mind or his face like that, but he knew that he had to run damage control before his friend judged him as a narc. "Ryan…"

"Why would you do that?" Ryan asked, breathing fast.

"Because he's the only person that can help you. I'm not a lawyer, I don't have money at my fingertips, I don't know anything about social services or juvenile hall," Seth replied. "Dad…he wants to help you."

Ryan covered his face.

"You can stay with us. All you have to do is come home with me. Sign the papers…"

"What are you talking about?" Ryan asked, confusion flashing in his eyes.

Seth was getting ahead of himself. His dad had told him to just get Ryan home and that he'd take care of the rest. But now Seth had mentioned papers.

"What kind of papers?" Ryan demanded.

"Um, we want you to stay with us," Seth admitted. He wished he knew more about the restrictions but he had to tell him what he knew. "Stay with me and my parents. You can stay in the poolhouse, and he says that you can get into my school with your test scores…and you won't have to run away, you won't have to hide…"

Seth watched Ryan for some sort of response, but Ryan was completely still, the only movement was the rapid rise and fall of his chest.

"What about your mom?" Ryan asked suddenly.

"She doesn't want you on the street. Mom…she's going to like you, to. She wants you somewhere safe and our house…it's safe."

Ryan was silent.

"Just…just come home with me and listen to what they have to say," Seth said.

"I don't know, Seth…"

But Seth could see that he was on the fence.

"Please. This is the best plan. Dad…you know he wants to help you, right? I wouldn't have called him if he didn't want to help you…"

Ryan sighed. Seth knew that Ryan respected his dad, otherwise Ryan would have never met Seth in the first place.

"Get your stuff. This is going to work out, I promise."

"Trust you, right?" Ryan murmured.

"Yeah. Trust me," Seth said.

**************************** ********* ********************************

Sandy shot out of his chair when he heard the door open.

Seth walked into the den and after a beat, a very bruised Ryan followed him into the room.

"Ryan…" he whispered. He hadn't expected him to look quite so…beaten. Someone had really hurt him and if the sparse story Seth had told him was true, he was probably hurting even more on the inside.

"Hey," Ryan said, his eyes down.

"Honey, are you all right? Have you seen a doctor?" Kirsten asked.

"I'm okay," Ryan replied, clearly surprised by her concern.

"Seth, thank you for bringing him home. Why don't you go out to the poolhouse and wait for him? We need to talk to Ryan."

Seth nodded and turned to Ryan. "It'll be okay, dude."

Ryan put down his backpack and hesitantly sat down on the edge of one of the seats.

"Where have you been staying?" Kirsten asked quietly.

He shrugged and Sandy could see that the simple gesture hurt him.

"Seth said you found your mom," Sandy stated.

Ryan looked at him with a slight nod. "You saw the letter, right? I should've taken her word for it instead of seeing for myself how much she didn't want me around," he said quietly.

"Did your father…" Kirsten started but Sandy glanced at her and she stopped in mid-question.

"Her boyfriend. My dad's in jail," Ryan said, straightening himself in the seat. "Look, I know that you guys are trying to be nice because of Seth, but really…if you can just tell me what I'm supposed to do, I'll get out of your hair. Is there a social worker or a shelter I need to go to?"

"You think we want to help you because of Seth?" Sandy asked, surprised.

Ryan shrugged.

"Everyone needs a little help sometimes," Kirsten said quietly. "We want you to stay here with us."

Ryan held her eye contact. "No, you don't."

"I think I'm capable of making my own decisions. You're Seth's friend and Sandy seems to think you're worth helping. We have the room and the resources to give you a home. All you have to do is accept it," Kirsten replied.

"Kirsten, give us a minute?" Sandy asked.

She nodded, standing up. "I'll get the poolhouse set up for you, make sure you have everything you need."

Ryan watched her walk out of the room.

"She doesn't have to do this, you don't have to do this…"

"Ryan. I want you to remember something," Sandy said, leaning forward. "You didn't ask us to do this for you. We want to do this. You need a place to stay and we have one. You are too smart, you have too much potential to drop out of school and have to…live on the streets. That's where you were, isn't it?"

Ryan looked away. "I didn't sleep in alleys or anything. There are lots of 24 hour places around."

"And how long were you going to be able to keep that up? Kid, let us help you. We all want you here."

"What if it doesn't work? What if something happens and you guys change your minds?" Ryan asked.

"This isn't something that we do every day. You're already a criminal, it's not like we don't know what we're getting into. I believe in you. I believe if you're given a chance that you'll be able to be the man I know you're meant to be," Sandy replied.

Ryan didn't say anything.

"Come on, kid, you're not going to find a better offer than this," Sandy said.

Finally, Ryan sighed and nodded his assent.

"Are you really willing to try this? To make this work, it's going to take all of us," Sandy said.

"Yes. I'll…I won't let you down. If you want me to go to school, or work…"

"We're not making you clean our house or anything, Ryan, we pay people to do that here," Sandy said, standing up. "Kirsten and I will be your guardians. We'll be here to take care of you."

"And first on the agenda tomorrow is a trip to the pediatrician's," Kirsten said, reappearing with a bottle of ibuprofen. "Are you allergic?"

"Um, no, I don't think so," Ryan said, accepting the bottle. "Thanks."

"Seth's pacing a path into the carpet in the poolhouse. You better go check on him, tell him the good news," Kirsten said. She hesitated and then stepped forward to give him a gentle hug. "It's going to be nice to have you here."

"Thanks," Ryan replied.

**************************** ********* ********************************

Ryan was still spinning a little by everything after Seth left him alone in the poolhouse.

He was staring at the bed. His bed.

He was going to stay here.

In this place where the pillowcases probably cost more than his entire backpack of belongings.

With the hyperactive kid and the jolly father figure and a proper lady of the house.

His brother would never believe this. Trey got sent to jail and Ryan ended up in a house with an infinity pool.

There was a timid knock on the door. That was different, too. Nobody knocked in Chino, he'd never lived in a room with a lock on the door that didn't include the movement of a heavy object.

"Come in," he said.

Kirsten stepped in with a paper bag. "Hi. I saw your light was still on. I brought you some food, snacks for your minifridge. Do you have everything you need?"

"Yes, thanks, everything's fine," Ryan said.

She walked over to kitchen area and started emptying the bag. "We'll get you some furniture, some places to put your things…and we'll get you things," she said, her eyes falling on the backpack.

"I have everything I need," Ryan said. He could get a job and get some clothes.

"We'll go shopping tomorrow. It's part of the deal." She paused. "I think we should probably talk."

"Talk?"

:"Seth and Sandy swear you don't say much, but I think we need to do this. I need to explain some things to you," she said.

"You don't have to…" he started.

"I need to. See…Sandy didn't tell me much about you. He just said that you needed a place to stay for the weekend and he didn't tell me why. That your mom…he didn't tell me everything that he knew, Ryan," Kirsten said quietly, standing behind the counter. "He wanted me to get to know you but I've been in this sheltered little place so long that I didn't even give you much thought."

Ryan was silent. She didn't have to explain anything to him.

"And then you were so nice to Seth, he doesn't have many friends, and you just…brought him to life. But he got hurt…and Seth…I know I've probably spoiled him, but he's never really been in a fight before where he actually bruised," she continued, looking at him and his bruises. "I'm sorry about your mother. And I'm sorry that I didn't take the time to consider that you were going to turn out to be such a large part of my life. Because you are. You're my responsibility now, just like Seth."

"Kirsten…"

"Sandy was right about you," she said, folding the paper bag and putting it in the trash. "I learned a long time ago to trust his instincts. I'll see you in the morning," she said, starting back toward the door.

"Kirsten. Thank you," he said, quietly.

She gave him a relieved smile and nodded. "Good night, Ryan. Try and get some rest."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Summer couldn't really believe that Cohen's family was just going to adopt Ryan. Or whatever they were doing for him, letting him stay there.

And despite all her best efforts, she was actually a little…giddy about it.

It pissed her off.

It had taken her a long time to build her empire, she was the most popular girl at Harbor, well, with Marissa by her side anyway. The two of them ruled the school. Marissa did most of the public work, like organizing the fashion show and being social chair, but Summer supported her all the way and planned the behind the scenes after-parties and fieldtrips to Tijuana.

And she'd never been one to let a guy get to her.

She'd decided a long time ago that she was never going to let a guy hurt her, she wasn't going to give him a chance.

It'd been years since she'd let a boy affect her the way Ryan Atwood did.

She had to have him.

She shook off the feeling and lit a cigarette.

The last boy that had made her feel like this was the one that had turned her into little miss sexpot. He'd shown her about sex.

She'd been 13 and left to entertain herself in the lodge while her parents were skiing in Aspen.

He'd been seventeen. He'd told her his name was Alec and that he loved her and they spent the whole winter vacation together and she'd been convinced that it was love despite her nanny's warnings.

Alec had the most beautiful blue eyes…

And when he'd told her that she was just a fuck, that he and his friends got off on screwing virgins, she'd been crushed. Devastated.

She learned then that sex didn't equal love. Most of the time it didn't have anything to do with love. Sex was all about attraction and having fun.

She was attracted to Ryan. And she planned on having lots of fun.

Sure, some people called her a slut, but most of the boys seemed to like her confidence and she never slept with guys that had girlfriends, intentionally anyway, so the girls could just suck it up.

Marissa had held onto her virginity for so long and Summer at least had that to reassure her that she wasn't a total deviant. Hell, virginal Marissa was the deviant in Newport for being a virgin. Her mom was probably so proud.

Summer needed to get her mind out of Ryan Atwood's pants and get back to business. There were only a few more weeks in the summer before school would start back and she needed to make sure that she had as much fun as possible.

Her dad had laid down the law about her grades and she might actually have to go to class more than twice a week to pull them up.

She wondered if Ryan would be going to Harbor.

Ryan Atwood. Runaway. Street thug. Criminal. Hot hot boy.

"Sum? What are you doing?" Marissa asked, joining her in her living room.

"Just thinking. You?" she asked, deflecting the attention from her.

"Hiding. Luke keeps coming by the house, trying to apologize. He was fucking Holly, like, all out in the open."

"That bitch has no class. She should always hold out for a bed," Summer said, getting her friend to smile. "What did you tell him?"

"I told him to go fuck himself, what do you think I told him? My mom's been telling him that I'll forgive him with time, but she doesn't know anything about me," Marissa replied.

"She doesn't know that you're crushing on Seth Cohen," Summer said.

Marissa blushed and Summer knew that it was getting more serious. Marissa really liked him. "So? Your dad wouldn't exactly approve of you dating the town's newest juvenile delinquent either."

"Dating? I don't date."

"What about Zach?"

Summer winced. "He's still in D.C. with his dad. He's a non-issue."

"Summer. He's been writing to you for years, he thinks you're his girlfriend," Marissa said.

"Coop, I haven't seen that guy in over nine months. If he ever comes back to town or stops sending me those expensive presents, I'll let him down easy." Her dad had set her up with Zach Stevens, the senator's son, a couple of years earlier and he'd fallen hard for her.

"Fine, whatever," Marissa sighed.

"You like Seth Cohen."

"And you like Ryan Atwood," Marissa replied.

Summer lifted a pillow and covered her face. "What are we going to do?"

"Did you sleep with him, Summer?" Marissa asked.

"What? Ryan? No…"

"Summer," Marissa scolded.

"We might have done a little…something, but we had none of the sex." But she sure as hell had wanted to. If he hadn't looked like a P.O.W, she might not have been able to control herself.

"Uh huh," Marissa doubted.

"He was…bruised. Like, he was really messed up," Summer admitted. "I just wanted to make him feel better. I'm not a total bitch…"

"Its just…Seth is a really good guy. And I'd like to think that there might be…something between us one day. And he really cares about Ryan. I don't want you to…"

"You think I'm going to hurt his feelings?" Summer asked.

"Are you?" Marissa countered.

Summer huffed. "I think Ryan can take care of himself, Coop. He's a big boy. A very big boy…" she added.

"Summer. You know what I mean. You tend to…rip guys to shreds. I really like Seth…"

"I know, Coop, and I would never do anything to mess up your chance to have something good…no matter how geeky," she started. "But…there's something about Ryan. You saw it, too, don't make me remind you that you wanted him first."

"Summer," Marissa warned.

She sighed. "Okay. I like him."

"What?"

"I really, really like him. Like, more than a random fuck…I can't believe I'm saying this," she added.

"Summer, I'm…I'm proud of you."

She gave her the finger.

Ryan stared at the new patient form and tried not to chew on Kirsten's pen.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, just…thinking."

She glanced over at the form. Seth was waiting at home but they were going to pick him up before they went shopping.

Seth was growing on him, but at least his enthusiasm about having a new friend in the house with him was buffering the weirdness he felt with the situation.

But Seth wasn't here now. Or Sandy.

"Your last doctor's visit?" Kirsten asked, seeing where he'd stopped.

"I didn't go to the doctor much. The health department…" he added.

"The health department?" she asked.

"Um…they do free testing there," Ryan said, regretting even mentioning it.

"Oh. Oh…" she replied, flushing.

"I'll just leave it blank," he said quietly.

He skimmed ahead and checked off some boxes about his history, aware of Kirsten watching him.

"We don't have to do this," he said, stopping at the family history portion. "I'm really okay, I'll be good as new in a couple of days…"

"If you're going to stay with us, we want you healthy. You don't have to answer the ones you don't know," she said.

"I just…I don't know what to put here. I mean, there's not a spot for 'drunk' and 'angry'," he muttered. Seeing her face, he immediately apologized. "Sorry."

"No, it's okay. You don't know about your grandparents?"

"Don't have any. As far as I know, I mean. I guess I have to have them," Ryan said. He folded the paper in half but she reached out and stopped him.

"Do you mind?" she asked. "I'm not going to embarrass you by coming in with you or anything…but…"

Ryan shrugged and let her take it.

She read over it for a moment and then passed it back.

He could see that she had questions. "What?"

"What kind of surgery did you have?" she asked quietly, motioning to the form.

"Oh. I broke my arm really bad and they had to put screws in it," he said.

She was still looking at him.

"And I had an accident with a screwdriver," he added with a sigh.

"How can you have an accident with a screwdriver?" she replied.

"Fell on it. Broke the 'no running in the house' rule," he said. He didn't mention that the screwdriver incident happened during the punishment phase.

"Ryan Atwood?" the nurse called.

"Don't be nervous. Dr. Perkins is a really nice doctor. I'll be in when she's done examining you, all right?"

He never thought he'd be so relieved to go into an examining room.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Mrs. Cohen? You can come in," the nurse called.

She followed the lady into the examining room. Ryan was sitting on the table, shirtless and his bruises were like tattoos covering his entire chest.

He met her gaze for a moment and then lowered his eyes to the floor.

"Mrs. Cohen, Ryan has a couple of broken ribs and he absolutely has to wrap them every day. The only time he shouldn't have them wrapped is when he's showering," the doctor explained.

She knew immediately what the doctor was saying.

"She showed me how to do it," Ryan said quietly.

"You shouldn't do it yourself," Kirsten replied. "You're going to show me?" she asked the doctor.

The doctor handed her the ace bandage and explained how to wrap it around Ryan's chest and secure it.

Kirsten gave Ryan a small smile to reassure him before starting to wrap his ribs. He was visibly nervous and was breathing shallowly.

"It's all right, Ryan. Tell me if it's too tight."

He relaxed slightly, but didn't say anything until she was finished.

"Okay?" she asked.

"Fine, thanks."

The doctor passed Ryan's shirt back to him and he slipped it over his head.

Kirsten remained standing and put her hand on his back. She needed to make a connection with him.

She'd been sitting in the waiting room thinking about what kind of life Ryan had had and how polite and loyal he was.

She had started to see what had drawn Sandy and Seth to him.

He was special.

"Is he okay, otherwise?"

"He's badly bruised and he needs to take it easy. He also needs to start eating better, a single meal a day is not good enough for a boy his age."

Kirsten wondered if he'd eaten anything at all while he was gone. "We plan on taking good care of him."

"I'm going to give him a few prescriptions, for his pain, and a list of vitamins he might want to start taking and I want him back in two weeks for a checkup."

"Okay?" Kirsten asked Ryan.

He nodded solemnly.

"You can go out and wait for Kirsten. I just have a few papers for her to sign."

Ryan thanked her quietly and left, relieved.

"Mr.s Cohen, I understand you only recently took over custody of Ryan but I have to file a report with social services."

Kirsten had been prepared for the possibility. "My husband notified them when the paperwork was pushed through. He wants the injuries documented in case his mother tries to fight us for custody. I'll sign whatever you need."

When she collected Ryan's appointment and prescriptions she found him sitting silently in a corner of the waiting room.

"It's over now. Ready to go home?"

"Yeah."

Once they were in the car, Ryan spoke softly. "What did the doctor tell you while I was gone?"

Kirsten decided to be honest with him. "She has to report your injuries to social services because you're underage."

Ryan was silent.

"I'm not going to question you, Ryan. But you don't have anything to worry about," she said.

"So…"

"Nothing's changed since this morning. Get used to being around," she added.

"Okay."

"I'm going to stop by the pharmacy and get your meds. I'm sure you're anxious to get back to Seth. I want to go out and get you some clothes and things."

"You don't have to…" he started.

"Yes, I do. I'd like you to come with me but you need to rest. Sandy and I are taking care of you now and that means buying you the things that you need."

After a long beat, Ryan spoke again. "I'll come with you. If it's okay. I feel okay."

She smiled. "We'll only get a few things today, all right?"

*************

"Cohen, what are you doing?"

Summer's voice startled him out of his thoughts.

"Ignore her, Seth," Marissa said, smiling at him. "She made me bring her."

"Mom's been gone with Ryan all morning," Seth said, returning her smile as she sat down beside him at the counter.

"What? Your mom?" Summer asked.

"She took him to the doctor. But they should've been back hours ago."

Summer was looking at him. "You're a good friend, Cohen. He's lucky to have you looking out for him."

Seth was surprised but didn't get a chance to respond.

"We got Ryan some housewarming gifts, is his room in here?" Summer asked.

"The poolhouse."

Summer trotted off with the bags and Marissa stopped him from following. "She's right, you know."

"What?"

"You're a good friend. To Ryan. And to me," Marissa said. She leaned close and startled him, kissing him softly.

"Oh," he whispered.

Marissa took his hand and pulled him outside.

His first kiss.

Her lips were sweet. "What kind of lip gloss do you use?"

Marissa giggled. "Shut up. Summer will never let me hear the end of it…but…maybe sometime you'll ask me out…without Ryan and Summer."

"Marissa," he said, stopping her outside the poolhouse. "Marissa, would you like to go out with me this weekend?"

She smiled. "Yes, Seth. Pick me up at 7."

"Friday?"

"Sure," she shrugged.

It was a good day again. He'd had his first kiss, a brand new brother and now a date.

Summer was cleaning out the wicker drawers, stacking towels and swimsuits on the bed.

"He has, like, nothing," Summer said.

Seth saw where she'd emptied Ryan's backpack on the bed. A couple of pair of boxers, 3 threadbare wifebeaters, one stained with blood, a pair of jeans and several worn spiral notebooks.

"You went through his stuff?" Seth asked.

"I didn't look at anything. I was just going to put his things away."

Seth was doubtful.

"She found what she was looking for," Marissa said, motioning to the strip of condoms on the bed./p

"My mom's going to come in here," Seth said, grabbing them.

"You guys are such prudes. Coop, put the towels in the closet, Cohen, pass me his stuff."

They went to work and Summer held open the bottom drawer and arranged the notebooks under the clothes.

"Seth?" His mother's voice startled them all.

"Mom..." Seth stammered.

She walked in with several bags with Ryan on her heels, equally laden.

"Mrs. Cohen. I hope it's okay we came by," Summer said sweetly.

"Of course. Nice to see you, Summer, Marissa. Ryan and I have been shopping, you can help him put his things away," Kirsten said.

"How'd everything go?" Seth asked, looking at Ryan.

"Fine. Okay," Ryan replied, quietly.

"I'm going to order some dinner. Girls, you're welcome to stay, I'll order enough."

"Thanks," Marissa replied.

Seth watched as his mother spoke quietly and urgently to Ryan before leaving.

"Are you sure everything's okay?"

Ryan nodded. "Yeah. Your mom...she's been great today."

Seth was relieved. "Yeah?"

"Yeah. Except for the part where she made me try on clothes," he replied.

"Ooh, let me see," Summer said, diving into the bags. Within minutes, Summer and Marissa had his new clothes on racks and folded in neat piles.

"So, Mom didn't scare you off at all," Seth asked as they left the girls to their work.

"She was really nice to me," Ryan said quietly.

"And the little powwow you just had?"

"She wants me to take my medicine," Ryan replied.

"What's wrong with you?" Summer asked.

"Couple of broken ribs. Bruises. Nothing serious," Ryan shrugged but Seth was already wincing from the thought.

"Broken ribs? Ouch, sit down, dude," Seth said.

"Cohen's right, sit down and rest."

"I actually was going to take a shower. Your mom's going to wrap my ribs again and then I'll be...more social," Ryan said.

"Oh, okay. Come on, girls, let's go supervise the delivery menus," Seth said.

Summer gave him a pointed look.

"Come on, Seth," Marissa smirked. "I'm sure we can entertain ourselves."

"Summer, I'm going to shower, you should go with them," Ryan said, looking at the beautiful girl on his bed.

"I don't know if you can manage all by yourself," she said, scooting over beside him and swinging her legs off the low bed, giving him a great view of her smooth, sculpted legs.

"I can manage."

Her perfect lips turn down into a pout and she runs her fingertips down his arm. "Can't I help? Just a little? I promise not to get in the way."

"Summer, Kirsten's inside," he protested but she ignored him, a satisfied smile in her eyes as she stood up and took his hand, pulling him to his feet.

"I just want to help you get undressed. I won't be naughty..." she said, walking backwards seductively, her eyes dropping to the bulge in his jeans.

"I think you're always naughty," Ryan replied, following her helplessly.

He couldn't walk away from this girl.

She locked both doors to the bathroom and turned to face him, stepping forward and settling her hands on his crotch and slipping her tiny fingers around his belt buckle.

"I can do it, Summer..."

"I can do it better," she smirked.

He chuckled and let her pull his belt off. He took advantage of her distraction to lower her tank top's straps to reveal her sheer bra. Her nipples were hard through the thin material and he rolled them between his fingers and appreciated the soft growl from her throat.

She released the tight bindings around his chest and he had relief for a moment but the pain kicked in soon after.

"Let's get you cleaned up, dirty boy," she said, gripping his semi-erect cock in her hand and using it to get him in the shower.

"Summer..."

"I promise not to get you in trouble," she said, using a band around her wrist to put her hair up so it wouldn't get wet.

He turned away from her reluctantly and fiddled with the faucets until a hot stream of water was flowing over his aching body.

She grabbed a bar of soap and started washing his back from behind, soothing his muscles with her gentle touch.

She lathered him up with soap, squeezing his ass cheeks teasingly before turning him to face her so the water could rinse his back.

She was equally gentle with his chest, her hands dancing around his crotch but not touching his dick and making it harder with anticipation.

"Oh, this is extra-dirty, it needs special treatment," Summer said, her eyes twinkling as she started to stroke him slowly, putting pressure in all the right spots.

He slipped a finger inside her pussy and she spread her legs wider, allowing him full access as she jacked him off.

"You're a tease," he grunted, thrusting into her tight fist now, desperate for release. He pushed another finger inside and she started to fuck his fingers, her hips bucking erotically.

"I'm just trying to get you all cleaned up."

He ignored the pain and gripped her ass in his hands, lifting her feet off the shower floor and pushing his cock fully inside her lubricated cunt.

She braced herself against the wall, her ponytail plastered against it as he pushed into her.

"Fuck me, Ryan...it's about time you got the point," she panted.

Her pussy clenched around his dick and he groaned, doubling his efforts and being rewarded with her digging her nails into his back as she came violently, biting his neck.

He pulled out an instant before he came, his cum splattering on her stomach as he lowered her to stand on her shaky legs.

"Did I hurt you?" she asked after a moment, leaning against him under the stream of the shower but careful not to get her hair wet as she rinsed off.

"No, Summer...that was definitely not painful," he replied.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Kirsten watched from the window as Summer Roberts walked with Ryan out of the poolhouse. The food had been delivered a few minutes earlier and Marissa and Seth were setting the table.

Seth had been obsessed with Summer for years and she was inwardly relieved that he'd turned his sights on the softer Marissa.

Kirsten was a woman, she remembered very well from her own teenage years what made girls like Summer tick.

"Mrs. Cohen, I hope you don't mind, but I wrapped Ryan's ribs for him, my daddy's a doctor and I know first aid," Summer said sweetly. Ryan stood nervously in the doorway. He was guilty of something.

"Thanks, Summer," Kirsten said, needing to reassure Ryan. But she knew immediately something else had gone in the poolhouse. "Ryan, have a seat, we're going to bring the food into the dining room."

Ryan obeyed silently, relaxing slightly and joining Seth and Marissa in the other room.

Summer picked up one of the cartons but Kirsten put her hand on her wrist. "Can we talk, Summer?"

"Sure," Summer replied after a beat.

Kirsten considered her words carefully. "Are you sleeping with Ryan?"

"Mrs. Cohen?"

"Call me Kirsten. And answer the question, please."

Summer had a rare flush of embarrassment on her cheeks. "Um..."

She waited, not taking her gaze off the girl.

"We haven't literally slept together but...we have gotten to know each other in a...less than chaste way."

Kirsten nodded. "I have a feeling that you do not need a lecture on the birds and the bees and neither does Ryan. But I do want you to consider very carefully what you're doing with Ryan. You're a popular girl, you have lots of friends and I can tell that you're used to getting what you want. But Ryan's special, he's not from around here and his stakes are much higher than yours. He can't afford to get in trouble..."

"And I'm trouble?" Summer asked quietly.

"Are you?" Kirsten replied.

"Ryan's my friend, Kirsten. I'm not out to hurt him or get him in trouble. I just...I like him," Summer stammered.

Kirsten studied her face. She seemed sincere.

Summer lowered her voice. "He is special."

Kirsten nodded and held out a carton for Summer to take. "No more sex in the poolhouse, okay? And if you do have sex..."

"Safe, I know," Summer said, practically squirming with her uncomfortableness.

"As long as we have an understanding," Kirsten nodded. "Then you're welcome to visit when you like."

Summer turned away but reconsidered, tilting her head at her. "Did you give Coop a lecture, too?"

"Seth doesn't have 'Coop's' teeth marks on his neck," Kirsten replied with a slight smile.

Summer hurried out of the kitchen.

Sandy pulled into the driveway and waved at the girls that were walking down his driveway.

Kirsten at told him about their dinner guests. He had been startled to hear the lilt of contentment in his wife's voice, it hadn't been what he expected after a day spent taking Ryan to the doctor's.

He'd spent his day finalizing their guardianship of Ryan.

Dawn Atwood was definitely a piece of fucking work.

 _She tilted her head at him. "You want me to just give you my kid? Why the hell do you want him?"_

 _He didn't reply._

 _"What if I don't sign them? What's in it for me?" she asked, her blue eyes flashing._

 _"What's in it for you?" Sandy repeated, stunned._

 _Dawn's huge boyfriend leaned forward. "Yeah. If we give you the kid, what do we get? You gonna pay us?"_

 _"Yeah, if you want Ry, you're going to have to make it worth our while," Dawn said._

 _Sandy picked up his briefcase and opened it on top of the diner's table, pulling out a manila folder._

 _He methodically placed the prints of Ryan's injuries across the table. Then he put Dawn's letter on the end. Next he pulled out the bulging social services file. Then he motioned out of the window where his buddy, Dennis, was leaning on his squadcar smoking a cigarette._

 _"This is your motivation. Officer Davis really hates seeing kids hurt. If I wanted to, I could have you both arrested right now for child abuse and neglect."_

 _"You can't prove anything..." Dawn said. "I didn't do this..."_

 _"Do you really want me to take you to court? You don't want Ryan. I do. Sign the damn paper and we both get to go back to our lives. You wrote this letter, you signed it," Sandy said, holding out the copy of the letter. "All I'm doing is giving you what you want."_

"Hi, honey," Kirsten smiled, meeting him at the door. "You look tired."

"I am. It's good to be home," he replied.

"The boys are in the poolhouse. Seth's got a date tomorrow night and I'm worried that he may spontaneously combust," Kirsten said.

"So, your day was really..."

"It was good. I mean...Ryan's got a lot of baggage, but...he's a good kid. We did the right thing. Oh, and he's having sex with the Roberts' girl," Kirsten added as an afterthought.

"Wait...Summer? Seth's Summer? Seth has a date?" Sandy was having trouble keeping up. He'd only been gone for 8 hours.

"With Marissa," Kirsten replied.

"I'll talk to him about the...sex," Sandy said after a beat.

"I wouldn't worry about it. I had a chat with Summer. We have an understanding," she said. "And I don't think we have to worry about 'the sex' as you call it with Seth just yet."

"Oh." He wrapped his arms around her. "So...good idea?"

"So far," she grinned. Her face fell slightly. "Are we okay?"

"Yeah," he answered honestly.

"Good. 'Cause we just got in way over our heads."

"So, what are you going to do while I'm out on my date?" Seth asked.

Ryan covered his head with the pillow from his position on Seth's bed.

Ever since eight a.m., when the gardener had woke the house up with the lawn mower, the kid had been trying on clothes. T-shirts, fuzzy sweaters, dress shirts and for a few minutes, his tuxedo. Finally he'd settled on faded jeans and an emo t-shirt under a white dress shirt.

Ryan found it amusing that his thick curls seemed to tighten with according to his emotional fervor. Even if it was all in Ryan's imagination...it was amusing.

"Dude? Still with me? I promise we're going to go play ps2 shortly, as soon I find shoes..."

"It's four o'clock. You've been saying that since noon. Your mom had to bring us sandwiches because you weren't able to come out," Ryan said.

"Sorry. But..."

"I know. It's a big night."

Seth grinned brightly.

"I was planning on just staying in. Sleeping," Ryan answered honestly.

"Dude, you should hang out with Summer or something," Seth said, frowning. "Ask her out or something."

"I don't really date, Seth," Ryan shrugged.

"What? But you and Summer..."

"That's not dating. I hang out with girls...I don't really...take them out," Ryan replied.

"Well, I have a little experience with asking girls out, I could give you some pointers," Seth offered, smiling.

"Thanks, but I'll pass. I'm just going to stay in," Ryan said.

"But...you feel okay and everything, right?" Seth asked.

"You guys are way too worried about me. I feel fine. And you're going to have a great first date. And you look fine. Let's go downstairs, dude."

"But, I don't know what shoes..."

"Seth," Ryan grumbled and was rewarded by Seth huffing and walking out of the room, his arms full of shoes.

He climbed off the bed and followed him down the stairs.

"Dad..." Kirsten sighed, exasperated and turned to face her father in the hallway where he'd followed her.

"I want to meet this boy, Kiki."

"You'll meet him, just not tonight," she replied.

"I still can't believe you made this big of a decision without consulting me," he said.

"Dad, I've been married eighteen years, I haven't consulted you on my personal life for at least twenty. Since you told me to marry Jimmy Cooper. I consult you for business decisions, not personal," she said.

"Kiki..."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "I don't recall being consulted when you flew that model to Aspen last weekend.

He stammered, but finally conceded. "I still want to meet him. Why don't you let me take you all out to dinner tonight."

"It's Friday night, Dad, I'm sure he has other plans."

"Well, if he doesn't, I expect to get a phone call," her father said. "If this kid's going to be living with you, we better get to know each other. Any person who's a part of my daughter's life is damned well going to be a part of mine," he added, kissing her cheek and disappearing into his office.

Since her mother had died of cancer a couple of years earlier, her father had changed. He'd thrown himself into his work during her decline and had been away at a conference when she passed away.

He'd never forgiven himself and made it a point to be involved in Kirsten and her sister's life, to the point where he came over every Sunday for brunch after morning mass.

Kirsten wasn't sure how her father was going to react to Ryan. Even though he'd made great strides in becoming a better father to her, Ryan wasn't exactly the kind of person her father would have run into in Newport.

"Mom, I'm leaving!" Marissa yelled upstairs when the doorbell rang.

"Where are you going? Is Luke taking you out?"

Marissa rolled her eyes. "No, mom. Oh, and I'm staying at Summer's tonight..."

"Wait right there, young lady," Julie said, hurrying down the stairs. "If you have a date, I think I need to meet him."

Before Marissa could stop her, her mother swung open the door.

Seth was frozen, obviously not expecting Julie. "Mrs. Cooper, hello, how are you?"

"Seth. Nice to see you. Are you taking my daughter out tonight?"

"Um, yes?" Seth stammered.

"Come on, Seth. Goodbye, 'mother'," Marissa hissed, pulling Seth outside.

"Have fun," Julie grinned, waving.

"So..."

"Ignore her, she just gets off on torturing me," Marissa said.

"So, what do you want to do?"

"I'm hungry."

Seth gave her skeptical look.

"Shut up," she laughed. She was always hungry.

"Kirsten, you can't do this to the kid right now, you'll scare him away," Sandy was telling his wife when Ryan walked in.

"What's up?" Ryan asked, sitting down at the counter.

"My father wants to meet you," Kirsten announced. "He's coming over for dinner."

Sandy was shaking his head and waving his hands behind Kirsten's back.

"Is that a good idea?" Ryan asked.

"Well, you're going to be around and he's a member of this family, too. Might as well get it over with," Kirsten said, glaring at Sandy.

"Shouldn't we wait until Seth's here, too?" Ryan asked. He had to meet the family now?

"Seth already knows Caleb. Come on, we have to make you a tinfoil hat so he won't read your mind," Sandy said. Kirsten punched him, good naturedly in the arm.

"He's not evil. I think you'll get along. He's really excited about it," Kirsten said.

"What do you think I will have in common with your father?" Ryan asked.

She hesitated.

"I'll go change," Ryan said, conceding.

The doorbell rang.

"Too late. You look fine. It's going to be fine," Kirsten said.

Sandy walked over and sat down beside him. "Hopefully he won't stay too long. And he stopped biting the mailman years ago."

Ryan was still doubtful.

He was surprised when he recognized the balding man that walked in with Kirsten carrying a large box from a restaurant.

"At least he brought food," Sandy muttered out of the corner of his mouth before plastering on a smile and shaking his hand.

"Sandford. See you're still alive. And this must be Ryan," he said. "I'm Caleb, Kiki's father and Seth's grandfather. Occasionally I even claim Sandford."

Ryan shook his hand, making sure to use a firm grip.

Caleb seemed to recognize him, too after a moment. "Where do I know you from, boy?"

"I don't know," Ryan replied honestly. "But you are familiar."

"Why don't we all sit down and I'll get our drinks," Kirsten said, giving Ryan a curious glance.

Summer ignored Luke's persistent whine in her ear and tried to focus on the keg.

This party blew.

Marissa was out with Cohen, Holly was crying because Luke had stopped fucking her and Ryan wasn't even here.

She didn't have his number and she definitely didn't want to get Kirsten on the phone. She shuddered.

Kirsten was acting like a mom already. Summer didn't do well with moms.

"Summer!" Luke said. "Are you listening to me? You have to help me get her back."

"No, I don't. You fucked up, Luke. You cheated on her. I wouldn't be a friend if I helped you. You deserve to be alone. Get over yourself," she said, pushing past him with her refilled up and heading outside to the deck.

She pulled out her phone and tried Coop's cell phone again. It went straight to voicemail.

"Coop, I'm bored! I miss you. At least when you were dating Luke we got to hang out. Call me. Oh...and hope you're having a good time." She hesitated to close the phone after she ended the call.

She finally closed it. She needed to get over this obsession with Ryan soon.

School was starting soon and she was wasting good party time thinking about a boy.

A very hot boy.

Who could fuck like a machine.

She drained the cup and tossed it into the garbage and started toward her car.

Caleb and Sandy were bantering across the table and Ryan was eating silently, but he'd relaxed after a few calm inquiries from Caleb earlier.

"Ryan? How's the veal?"

"It's, um, good. I don't think I've had veal before," he admitted.

"We don't even know what you like to eat," Kirsten said.

"This is fine," Ryan said.

"I really think we've met before," Caleb said.

Ryan glanced at him. "I think I remember now. I used to help my friend Theresa's mom clean houses out here. Your wife was sick and you'd come home at lunch to sit with her."

Kirsten could tell by her dad's face that it was true. She didn't know that her dad would visit her mom at lunch.

"That's right. Eva, she would bring Laura muffins every few days. You've grown up a lot since then, you were skinny. Always polite, though," her dad added as an afterthought.

Ryan was silent, reflective.

"Mom passed away a few years ago," Kirsten said quietly.

"I'm sorry. She was a very nice lady," Ryan replied.

"It's a small world, isn't it," Caleb said softly. "But welcome to the family, Ryan."

Kirsten could see that Ryan and her father did have something in common after all.

Ryan stepped into the poolhouse and flipped the light on.

Summer was lying on his bed, watching the door.

"What are you doing here?"

"I was bored. I wanted to see you. Is that so bad?"

Ryan walked over and leaned over the bed as she raised up on her elbows to accept his kiss.

Within seconds, they were on the bed, making out. She tasted like lust and beer.

"Wait..." Summer said, breathless, pulling away. "We can't do this here."

"What?"

"Kirsten says we can't have sex in the poolhouse," Summer said, straighteing her bikini top and standing up. "Come on."

"When did Kirsten..." Ryan started.

"Never mind, let's go outside."

He didn't have anything better to do so he let her lead him outside and behind the poolhouse to a path that led down the hill toward the beach.

"Where are we going?"

"The Cohen's and Coop share a little swatch of beach. We can be alone there and I won't be breaking any of Kirsten's rules. She busted me for that little lovebite on your neck," Summer said over her shoulder.

Ryan should've known. Seth had mentioned it last night but he'd hoped that the Cohens had been less observant. He should've known better.

"Here we are," Summer said, releasing his hand and turning to face him. "Secluded, private and perfect for a little forbidden tryst."

"You are definitely surprising," he said, stepping forward to kiss her.

He enjoyed her mouth for several minutes until they both heard the sound of voices echoing above the sound of the surf.

"Coop," Summer said softly, recognizing her friend's voice.

Ryan listened harder but couldn't make out the words.

"We should check it out," Summer said.

They almost looked like a normal couple out on a walk but the cluster of people down the beach did not.

He recognized Luke standing with Marissa, holding her arms.

He didn't see Seth.

"You have to talk to me, what are you doing with this geek, trying to make me jealous? Well it worked, you got back at me..." Luke was yelling.

Ryan saw Seth then, on his back in the sand with the familiar jocks standing over him, kicking him in shifts.

He took off in a run and was vaguely aware of Summer kicking Luke in the balls and screeching at him when he pushed the biggest guy over.

"Oh, you want some of this, punk?"

He'd managed to deal with the pain in his chest for days, but after the first two hits on his bandaged abdomen, he went down.

"Stop it! Stop it!" Marissa screamed. Summer was throwing sand and kicking at Luke's prone form from where he was protecting his danglies from her precise kicks.

Seth wasn't taking the brunt of the attack anymore, but blood was streaming out of his nose as he struggled in Chip's grip from the outer circle of boys attacking Ryan.

"You're killing him..." Seth said and everything stopped as Marissa heard the harsh gasps from Ryan.

Art hesitated throwing his punch and Summer stopped her assault.

Ryan was struggling to breathe, on his back on the sand.

"We need to get out of here," Chip said suddenly and the bulk of the boys took off in a sprint toward their cars.

Marissa went to Seth's side where he had crawled to crouch over Ryan's prone form.

"Ryan?"

Ryan couldn't seem to catch his breath, sucking and exhaling air at a painful pace, his face tight with pain.

"What's wrong with him?" Luke asked, on his feet now.

"Summer, go get my dad..." Seth said, stricken.

"But..."

"Go!" Seth yelled and she took off in a run.

"Seth..." Marissa whispered, panicked.

Ryan was clawing at his shirt and she was startled when Luke pushed her aside and pulled his shirt up to reveal his bindings.

"Get away from him," Seth said.

Marissa stifled a scream when Luke pulled out the knife.

"Dude!"

Luke positioned the knife at the bottom of the bandage and sliced upwards to cut them off.

Ryan immediately started breathing easier, digging his hands into the sand, still in pain.

"He could've punctured a lung," Luke said, sticking the knife in the sand and putting his ear against Ryan's heaving chest. "Call an ambulance..."

"Do you hear anything?" Marissa asked, clinging to Seth now, unable to control the emotions surging through her.

"Just calm down, dude, and try to breathe," Luke told Ryan before turning to her. "I think his bindings were too tight and the fight just made it too much to deal with..."

Seth was talking to 911 when Summer returned with Sandy and Kirsten and the security guard.

"What happened?" Sandy demanded, falling to his knees beside Ryan.

"Seth?" Kirsten asked.

"There was a fight, he was trying to help and then he just couldn't breathe," Seth said.

Ryan finally came out of his pain induced haze on his back in the ambulance. His chest was numb from all the icepacks and every breath from the oxygen mask was like knives were piercing his body..

"There you are. Thought we lost you for a minute there," Sandy said, smiling at him from beside the medic.

"Still here..." Ryan said, his voice hoarse.

"You're a lucky kid," the lady said. "We're leaving you on the oxygen for a little while longer before we turn you loose..."

"Are you absolutely sure he doesn't need a hospital?" Sandy asked her

"No, no hospital," Ryan said.

"This is not your decision," Sandy said quickly, silencing him.

"Keep an eye on him overnight and bring him down in the morning for some new x-rays. And you might want to let his doctor know that they don't recommend wrapping broken ribs anymore, it increases the chance of a pneumothorax," the lady said.

"Thanks," Sandy said, turning his attention back to Ryan. "We need to have a talk."

Ryan knew that he was going to get in trouble for fighting.

"I appreciate you looking out for Seth. You're a good friend. But I don't want you putting your own health in danger, for anyone. Seth's not your responsibility. You've been hurt enough and one of the reasons I brought you here was so you wouldn't be hurt anymore. Okay?"

He nodded, not knowing what to say.

"Luke told us what happened and we're going to have the boys punished for what they did to you..."

"You called the cops?" Ryan asked.

"No. I know how you feel about cops. But we are going to call their parents and tell them what happened. The Newpsies are much more worried about being in the papers than they are about police," Sandy said. "Don't worry."

"I'm sorry..."

"I know, kid. But you didn't do anything wrong. But you are grounded."

"Grounded?" Ryan asked.

"Yep. The lady of the house has spoken. She says you're on lockdown until your bruises go away. You really scared us tonight, kid," Sandy said. He patted his hand fondly.

Ryan couldn't remember his own parents ever comforting him when he'd been hurt.

Newport was definitely like no other place he'd ever known.


End file.
